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Sen. Schumer Calls on Secret Service to Address Skimming Problem

The senator says the agency should triple their efforts to end credit-card skimming.

February 14, 2018

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​ROCHESTER, N.Y. – This week, U.S. Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) urged the U.S. Secret Service to investigate and address a surge in card skimming incidents across the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region in New York. Schumer said card skimming scammers prey on consumers at popular retail locations like gas stations.

“Simply put, we cannot stand by and allow unsuspecting Rochester residents to be victims of these new, nefarious credit card skimmer scams,” Schumer said in a statement. “I am calling on the Secret Service to immediately triple their efforts to address these horrible scams. With skimming cases continuing to rise and criminals getting savvier, it is clear that the Secret Service must do more in Rochester to eliminate these scams.”

The Secret Service has acknowledged that criminals are using card skimmers in a variety of ways, including the use of periscope skimmers, which are often undetectable to the untrained eye. Schumer stated further access to personal information obtained through these devices has enabled criminals to drain Rochester Finger Lake residents’ bank accounts, steal their identities, and sell private information for financial gain.

Specifically, Schumer urged the Secret Service to commit to increasing the number of agents and resources to combat this growing threat of fraud and root out networks that seek to take advantage of unsuspecting customers. The Secret Service should partner with local law enforcement and federal authorities to coordinate information campaigns that allow employees and customers alike to more easily identify card skimming technology.